Help... diagnosis on child

[princessdonna87]

Hi all

My daughter has just turned 9. She has had 4 sessions with a child psychotherapist at a cost of £70 each (quicker than waiting list for camhs).

The psychotherapist has told me she believes my daughter has PTSD and would like to start her on EMDR.

I am cautious about this as she's a sensitive child.

I agree she could have PTSD for 2 reasons:

1. She witnessed a lot of domestic abuse (not violent to me but to house) also mental/emotional from her dad.
2. Her dad died by suicide, although she doesn't know this, she knows he died and witnessed his paranoid episodes.
3. Her gran died a month ago, I found her, and my daughter heard us all scream and saw the ambulance which traumatised her.

I want to help my daughter but I don't know how. I don't know if this is the right diagnosis for her so I'm seeking a second opinion.

Just don't know what to do. I'm scared she's messed up.

It certainly sounds like she could benefit from speaking to someone impartial and non judgemental. Would she attend alone or with you in the background?

I wouldn’t let her have emdr, I had it for ptsd and the nightmares were horrific

I would make sure the therapist takes time to build a good relationship with and stabilise your child before getting stuck into something like EMDR. My sympathies, my ds has recently being diagnosed with ptsd, it's heart breaking. Best wishes

OP this must be such a scary time for you. But PTSD does sound reasonable from what you describe, this doesn’t mean she’s ‘messed up’ she’s just had to deal with some difficult experiences and has struggled with them. EDMR is by far the most sensible suggestion for treatment that could be suggested in the circumstances - EDMR is a fantastic tool and it’s great someone wants to to this for your daughter now. It will probably be helpful much quicker than anything else that could be offered, and I for one am so happy to see it offered as a first course of action rather than a last (as it usually is) please take the offer for your daughter, it’s the right one.

thanks everyone. She attends weekly appointments with her psychotherapist, I don't go in with her and I don't ask what she's discussed (if she volunteers things I will listen, but I don't probe her)

I'm just worried PTSD is too strong a term? But at the same time it makes sense?

She's only 9 and this breaks my heart, I just want to fix her.

You can certainly ask the psychotherapist for a break down of how she meets the DSM-V criteria for PTSD. It's not just exposure to a traumatic event - there needs to be re-experiencing symptoms (flashbacks, nightmares), negative alterations in cognitions, avoidance behaviours, and more - all the specific criteria has to be met for the diagnosis to be given.

She may have PTSD but she may well just be struggling with the aftermath of traumatic experiences without actually having PTSD (for example, if she doesn't have flashbacks etc).

If she does meet criteria to warrant a trauma-focused treatment, EMDR has a good evidence base.